A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the Fractal Design Torrent feels quite massive. It is both deep and wide, offering loads of internal volume to place large hardware without issue. The plastic parts have a matte but smooth surface feel to them, which is nice but certainly prone to fingerprints.


Looking at the front, the design is asymmetrical with straight lines that are about an inch deep. You may easily pull off the cover to reveal a removable, fine dust filter of the same design as the front cover. This means that the airflow is not further compromised in the process of keeping dirt and grime out of the chassis. Taking a first look at the rear, it becomes apparent quite quickly that the Fractal Design Torrent is by no means a traditional case.


Both sides of the Torrent are made out of glass, and Fractal added black stripes to the top and bottom of each panel as those are where the metal mounting rails are glued to. This results in clean windows devoid of any visible mounting hardware. While the main glass panel is tinted lightly, Fractal Design has employed a heavier tint on the one behind the motherboard tray to better hide any cable mess there.


Looking at the rear, the very bottom is where you will find your seven expansion slots. Each is protected by a removable and reusable cover. Next to it is a large air vent that seamlessly flows into the 120/140 mm fan-mounting position at mid-height of the Torrent. These large openings purposefully do not have any dust filters as air is meant to exit through this area as freely as possible. In the very top is a centered ATX power supply bay. It comes with a single set of mounting screws and is topped by the plastic top panel. Look closely and you will find several Velcro strips on the left edge of the rear. These are meant to tidily hold your external cables once your system is up and running.


The top panel of the Fractal Design is completely solid, but may be removed by unscrewing two thumb screws in the back. This reveals the PSU bay, which actually sits on top of the case frame. The I/O consists of the usual audio ports, two USB 3.0, and a single USB 3.2 Type-C. The power and reset buttons are on top of that.


Taking a quick look at the underside of the chassis, you will find a dust filter covering all three intake fans. To remove it for cleaning, one does not have to tip the chassis over—simply pull the front cover off and slide it out from under the Torrent. To the bottom, Fractal Design has also added two rails to which you could stick ARGB LED strips, with openings to easily route the cables through the floor of the chassis.